Printing characters for use in transfer printing processes

ABSTRACT

A translucent sheet of printing characters for use in a transfer printing process of the kind in which a printing character mounted on one support surface is transferred from that support surface to another support surface, in which characters are formed on one side of the sheet, each within a rectangular area and located in that area in the same relationship as the same character of solid type mounted on the platform of a type body used in a type setting process bears to the area of that platform, whereby, a character when transferred with its rectangular area by pressure applied to the side of the sheet remote from the character, may be juxtaposed with similarly formed characters to provide intelligence in which adjacent characters are accurately mutually spaced in the relationship they would occupy if printed by a type setting process.

United States Patent 1 [111 3,930,092 Shapiro Dec. 30, 1975 [54] PRINTING CHARACTERS FOR USE IN 3,298,850 1/1967 Reed et al 161/406 RANS E PRINTING PROCESSES 3,440,746 4/1969 Richards 40/125 A [75] I t Al Sh L d E l d 3,635,746 l/l972 Karlan ll7/3.l

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [73] Asslgnee: Adhes've Mater'als 486,086 2 1970 Switzerland 40 125 A London, England [22] Filed; Sept, 18, 1972 Primary ExaminerHarold Ansher Assistant Examiner-Paul J. Thibodeau [21] Appl' 289878 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Alfred H. Rosen; Frank A.

Related US. Application Data Steinhilper [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 74,301, Sept. 22,

1970, abandoned.

[57] ABSTRACT A translucent sheet of printing characters for use in a transfer printing process of the kind in which a printing character mounted on one support surface is transferred from that support surface to another support surface, in which characters are formed on one side of the sheet, each within a rectangular area and located in that area in the same relationship as the same character of solid type mounted on the platform of a type body used in a type setting process bears to the area of that platform, whereby, a character when transferred with its rectangular area by pressure applied to the side of the sheet remote from the character, may be juxtaposed with similarly formed characters to provide intelligence in which adjacent characters are accurately mutually spaced in the relationship they would occupy if printed by a type setting process.

2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Dec. 30, 1975 F/GZ INV'EN'IOR ALEC SHAP IRO BY ROSEN & STEINHILPER ATTORNEYS PRINTING PROCESSES This application is a Continuation-in-Part of application Ser. No. 74,301 filed Sept. 22, l970, now abandoned.

This invention relates to printing characters for use in transfer printing prbcesses. A transfer printing process is herein defined as one inwhich a printing character mounted on one support surface is transferred from that surface to another support surface. Such a process includes, for example, printing charactersrformed from self-adhesive sheet material mounted on a backing sheet in which the self-adhesive characters are removed from their backing sheet and mounted on another support surface. In another form of transfer print ing process, the printing characters are in the form ofa layer of ink sandwiched between a translucent mounting sheet and a layer of adhesive, the bonding forces between the adhesive layer and the ink being greater than those between the ink and the translucent mounting sheet. By placing the mounting sheet on a further support surface with the adhesive layer adjacent the support surface and applying substantial pressure, for example, with the aid of a stylus, through the mounting sheet, the ink characters can be transferred to'the support surface.

As distinct from transfer printing processes, in a type setting process the typographer'or composer does not have to estimate the distance between each symbol or character or between lines of symbols or characters. The type character is set in a certain position on the platform on top of a three dimensional body so that the quick assembly of characters into legible lines is facilitated.

The size of type of a font of type is expressed in printers measure which is points (approximately72 points to the inch) and refers to the distance between the front and the back of the body of the individual type characters. Spacings between characters or words are made with bodies of metal and the dimensions used are ems or fractions thereof. The cm is the square of the body being used, e.g. 12 Points (one-sixth inches approx.) by l2 Points (one-sixth inches approx.). Half an cm is an en, e.g., 12 Points by 6 Points.

It will be apparent that in type setting processes there is always space between characters because of the provision of such on the body supporting each of the type characters. However, in transfer printing processes there is at present no positive means of automatically introducing correct inter-character and interline spacing. It is an object of the invention to overcome this disadvantage.

The present invention consists in an arrangement of printing characters for use in a transfer printing process in which printing characters formed on one support surface are transferred individually from that surface to another support surface, comprising a translucent sheet, a first printed layer on the sheet of a first marking material, said layer consisting of printing characters, a second printed layer on the sheet of a second marking material consisting of rectangular printed areas sandwiching respective printing characters of the first layer between the sheet and said second layer, each character of the first layer being located in relation to the associated rectangular area of the second layer in the same known relationship with respect to saidarea as the same character of solid type mounted on the platform of a type body used in a type setting process bears with respect to the area of said platform, the bonding forces between the said layers being greater than the bonding forces between saidfirst layer and the sheet, whereby application of pressure to the side of the translucent sheet remote from said layers of marking material when the sheet is disposed with said layers facing a further support surface to which said second marking material can be bonded in preference to said sheet, effects transfer to the further support surface of the layers forming the printing character and the rectangular area within which the printing character is located so that after transfer of a first printing character and its associated rectangular area of said second layer from the sheet to the further support surface, a second printing character can be transferred to the second support surface together with its associated rectangular area of said second layer so that the rectangular areas associated with said first and said second printing characters are juxtaposed in edge to edge relationship to provide printed intelligence in which the printing characters are spaced from one another in a manner corresponding with the spacing of similar characters when printed by a type setting process.

It will be appreciated that as the layer of second marking material is transferred together with the layer of first marking material, the edge of said layer of second marking material provides a location against which an edge of a corresponding layer associated with a further similar printing character can be placed so'that the two characters are accurately mutually spaced.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying somewhat diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are fragmentary plan and sectional views of one embodiment of the invention.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings is illustrated an embodiment employing pressure sensitive rather than self-adhesive materials, the printing characters are in the form of a layer of ink 15 or other suitable marking material e.g. stove paint sandwiched between a translucent mounting sheet 17 which, for easy release of the ink therefrom, may be silicone treated, and a layer of adhesive e.g. pressure sensitive adhesive 20. Between the ink layer and the adhesive layer is provided a further layer of coloured lacquer or varnish 19. This further layer 19 covers each printing character and defines a rectangular area enclosing the printing character, the relationship of the character 15 to the area 19 being the same as that which the same character of solid type mounted on the platform of a type body used in a type setting process bears to the area of that platform. The adhesive, which is suitably a waxy adhesive, is chosen so that the bonding forces between the adhesive and the further layer of lacquer or varnish are greater than the bonding forces between the lacquer or varnish layer and the translucent mounting sheet 17, the bonding forces between the lacquer or varnish 19 and the ink layers 15 being greater than those between the ink layer 15 and the mounting sheet 17. Thus, when a character is transferred to a further support surface by the application of pressure through the translucent sheet 17, the ink forming the character 15 together with the rectangular layer of lacquer or varnish 19 backing the character 15 and the adhesive 20 at the rear of the rectangular area of the layer of lacquer and varnish are removed from the translucent sheet. The edges of the rectangular area of coloured lacquer or varnish 19 so removed are used by the artworker for locating subsequent characters transferred from the translucent sheet. The colour of the lacquer or varnish is such that when the finish artwork is photographed for reproduction purposes the colour of the lacquer is not visible in the photographed image.

For reverse printing the characters can be printed on the translucent sheet in white and the rectangular layer of varnish associated with each character can be coloured with a colour which does appear in the photographed image of the finished artwork,

I claim:

1. For use in a transfer printing process in which printing characters formed on one support surface are transferred individually from that surface to another support surface, comprising a translucent sheet, a first printed layer on the sheet of a first marking material, said layer consisting of printing characters, a second printed layer on the sheet of a second marking material consisting of rectangular printed areas sandwiching respective printing characters of the first layer between the sheet and said second layer and an additional layer of pressure sensitive adhesive which sandwiches between itself and the sheet the layers of the first and second marking materials, each character of the first layer being located in relation to the associated rectangular area of the second layer in the same known relationship with respect to said area as the same character of solid type mounted on the platform of a type body used in a type setting process bears with respect to the area of said platform, the bonding forces between the said first and second printed layers being greater than the bonding forces between said first layer and the sheet and the bonding forces between the additional layer and the second printed layer being greater than the bonding forces between the second printed layer and the sheet, whereby application of pressure to the side of the translucent sheet remote from said layers of marking material and said adhesive layer when the sheet is disposed with said layers of marking material and said adhesive layer facing a further support surface to which said additional layer of pressure sensitive adhesive can be bonded, effects transfer to the further support surface of the first and second layers forming respectively the printing character and the rectangular area within which the printing character is located so that after transfer of a first printing character and its associated rectangular area of said second layer from the sheet to the further support surface, a second printing character can be transferred to the second support surface together with its associated rectangular area of said second layer so that the rectangular areas associated with said first and said second printing characters are juxtaposed in edge to edge relationship to provide printed intelligence in which the printing characters are spaced from one another in a manner corresponding with the spacing of similar characters when printed by a type setting process.

2. A sheet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the layer of second marking material is coloured with a color which while visible to the eye is substantially transparent to light used to photograph an image of said printing character or characters in a known photoreproduction process. 

1. FOR USE IN A TRANSFER PRINTING PROCESS IN WHICH PRINTING CHARACTERS FORMED ON ONE SUPPORT SURFACE ARE TRANSFERRED INDIVIDUALLY FROM THAT SURFACE TO ANOTHER SUPPORT SURFACE, COMPRISING A TRANSLUCENT SHEET, A FIRST PRINTED LAYER ON THE SHEET OF A FIRST MARKING MATERIAL, SAID LAYER CONSISTING OF PRINTING CHARACTERS, A SECOND PRINTED LAYER ON THE SHEET OF A SECOND MARKING MATERIAL CONSISTING OF RECTANGULAR PRINTED AREAS SANDWICHING RESPECTIVE PRINTING CHARACTERS OF THE FIRST LAYER BETWEEN THE SHEET ANS SAID SECOND LAYER AND AN ADDITIONAL LAYER OF PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE WHICH SANDWICHES BETWEEN ITSELF AND THE SHEET THE LAYERS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND MARKING MATERIALS, EACH CHARACTER OF THE FIRST LAYER BEING LOCATED IN RELATION TO THE ASSOCIATED RECTANGULAR AREA OF THE SECOND LAYER IN THE SAME KNOWN RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID AREA AS THE SAME CHARACTER OF SOLID TYPE SETTING PROCESS BEARS WITH RESPECT TO THE BODY USED IN A TYPE SETTING PROCESS BEARS WITH RESPECT TO THE AREA OF SAID PLATFORM, THE BONDING FORCES BETWEEN THE SAID FIRST AND SECOND PRINTED LAYERS BEING GREATER THAN THE BONDING FORCES BETWEEN SAID FIRST LAYER AND THE SHEET AND THE BONDING FORCES BETWEEN THE ADDITIONAL LAYER AND THE SECOND PRINTED LAYER BEING GREATER THAN THE BONDING FORCES BETWEEN THE SECOND PRINTED LAYER AND THE SHEET, WHEREBY APPLICATION OF PRESSURE TO THE SIDE OF THE TRANSLUCENT SHEET REMOTE FROM SAID LAYERS OF MARKING MATERIAL AND SAID ADHESIVE LAYER WHEN THE SHEET IS DISPOSED WITH SAID LAYERS OF MARKING MATERIAL AND SAID ADHESIVE LAYER FACING A FURTHER SUPPORT SURFACE TO WHICH SAID ADDITIONAL LAYER OF PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE CAN BE BONDED, EFFECTS TRANSFER TO THE FURTHER SUPPORT SURFACE OF THE FIRST AND SECOND LAYER FORMING RESPECTIVELY THE PRINTING CHARACTER AND THE RECTANGULAR AREA WITHIN WHICH THE PRINTING CHARACTER IS LOCATED SO THAT AFTER TRANSFER OF A FIRST PRINTING CHARACTER AND ITS ASSOCIATED RECTANGULAR AREA OF SAID SECOND LAYER FROM THE SHEET TO THE FURTHER SUPPORT SURFACE, A SECOND PRINTING CHARACTER CAN BE TRANSFERRED TO THE SECOND SUPPORT SURFACE TOGETHER WITH ITS ASSOCIATED RECTANGULAR AREA OF SAID SECOND LAYER SO THAT THE RECTANGULAR AREAS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND PRINTING CHARACTERS ARE JUXTAPOSED IN EDGE TO EDGE RELATIONSHIP TO PROVIDE PRINTED INTELLIGENCE IN WHICH THE PRINTING CHARACTERS ARE APACED FROM ONE ANOTHER IN A MANNER CORRESPONDING WITH THE SPACING OF SIMILAR CHARACTERS WHEN PRINTED BY A TYPE SETTING PROCESS.
 2. A sheet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the layer of second marking material is coloured with a color which while visible to the eye is substantially transparent to light used to photograph an image of said printing character or characters in a known photoreproduction process. 